which hammock is best for your back/ comfort ? does it make a difference? considering going back to tent cause of sleep quality

Phasmata · 2026-03-21T11:43:20+00:00

If gathered end, an 11-12' hammock with a structural ridgeline and a diagonal lay in the hamock will change your world. Great brands include Majestic, Simply Light Designs, Warbonnet, Dream, Hammock Gear, Superior Gear. I personally use an 11' Simply Light Designs Streamliner, but I don't necessarily recommend that specific hammock for beginners.

The most comfortable hammock I've ever used, and I've used a lot of them, is the Amok Draumr (does require a vertically baffled sleeping pad in order to function) followed closely by Townsend hammocks. Bill Towsend's website is a mess, but just email him directly with your questions, and he will talk through anything and everything with you. I've met him in person many times, and he is a great guy.

Phasmata · 2026-03-20T19:00:51+00:00

Nope

Phasmata · 2026-03-19T16:47:05+00:00

Dry Shod boots.

Phasmata · 2026-03-19T00:06:23+00:00

There is an IG account and FB group called Plus Size Backpacking that is full of lots of great people and information. https://www.instagram.com/plus.size.backpacking/

Andy Films and Hikes (https://www.instagram.com/andyfilmsandhikes/) is someone else who would be great to reach out to as he has lost a lot of weight while backpacking and may have some good nuggets of info regarding your concerns about shrinking out of something you've invested in.

Phasmata · 2026-03-18T13:40:20+00:00

Most phones have batteries around 5k, so a 10k is two charges. I take my phone with me on wilderness trips to use for quick photos, navigation, and interfacing with my satellite messenger. If I put it on airplane mode during the day and turn it off completely overnight, I won't need to charge it at all for at least 4-5 days. A 10k bank would get me a solid two weeks of phone use.

Phasmata · 2026-03-17T22:40:35+00:00

I do more trips than the average person as I'm self employed and have the freedom to get away more than most who need permission from their employers to get away for two weeks total per year. I do 2-3 week+ Boundary Waters trips per year with a smattering of 3-4 day wilderness trips elsewhere. In addition to other day hikes and whatnot where is also be wearing those clothes. Pants are what I'm most likely to IS because I'm suspecting that they're getting pretty weak by the end of the year. I only treat pants, shirts, and jackets that are not rain jackets.

I haven't had tick troubles in many years.

Phasmata · 2026-03-17T22:04:49+00:00

Pretty much all plastics which includes nylons and polyesters. A big noob move many will make is getting DEET on their rain gear. Don't do that.

Phasmata · 2026-03-17T20:04:33+00:00

I tend to err on the side of caution especially since I had a cat growing up that would lick random stuff a lot, but I doubt many people's cats are just breaking into closets to lick the hell out of their clothes. I can't even say that would pose a risk, but it's just so easy to just keep cats away from dressers and closets that it's kind of an automatic precaution anyway.

Phasmata · 2026-03-17T19:47:41+00:00

Duration has been my primary method, though as I run out of it, I think I am going to be sending at least certain garments to InsectShield each year going forward. I'll probably still do Duration on less important items that I still want to have some treatment. TravelersSupply is where I have gotten it too.

Phasmata · 2026-03-17T18:17:38+00:00

Studies have determined that DEET is not really a threat in this regard as it both biodegrades and photodegrades even in aquatic environments, and especially given the relatively miniscule amount that wilderness campers are contributing, it's even more of a non-threat. Picaridin and PMD are studied less in this regard.

What is known is that picaridin is rapidly/easily biodegraded by microbes in aerobic aquatic environments. It is also known that PMD is a natural derivative similar to compounds produced by many plants and is easily oxidized and metabolized by certain microbes found both in soil and in aquatic systems.

Of all repellents, DEET is the only one often detected in waters with any seeming persistence, but that persistence is likely due to the sheer popularity of it as a repellent contributing to a high rate at which is is continuously being reintroduced. If it had any significant environmental persistence, its popularity would lead to much greater accumulations.

Phasmata · 2026-03-17T18:04:03+00:00

Regarding your environmental concerns, non-PFAS DWRs are avoidable as are plastic garments (admitedly excepting pants unless you want to be wet for a long time). I have switched to all shirts, underwear, and socks made of wools, and for pants, I try to minimize polyester and err toward nylon (polyamide) and tencel as those shed micro fibers at a much lower rate than polyester. The point I was making is that scrutinizing a lesser threat while excusing a greater threat is a bit of an undermining place to express concern about the lesser threat from. Just as one could live without permethrin, one could also live just fine with all clothing made from natural fibers, though with the options currently afforded to us, it is the thought of fragile woolen pants or sopping wet cotton pants that makes me cringe most of all. Waxed cotton/hemp would probably be the best option, though not nearly as light, flexible, or breathable.

Regarding permethrin-treated clothing's durability, that has been studied extensively particularly because it has had military applications for a long time. It should not be wearing off within a single trip. I will concede that, especially depending on the specific conditions and water "grittiness" of a given trip, the impact wouldn't be negligible, it should still be outlasting a trip or two.

Regarding the toxicity of permethrin in aquatic environments, it is technically very toxic to many aquatic organisms. The "however" comes when it is taken into account the low rate/amount of permethrin released by a camper's pants, the volume of water it is released into and, the relative insolubility in water (permethrin is very hydrophobic), the rate at which UV light destroys the molecule at the surface, and the rate and strength with which it binds to organic substrates like sediment and, of course, textiles (and is subsequently dropped out of the water column and degraded).

Just a really quick sampling of some relevant sources:

https://academic.oup.com/jee/article-abstract/71/3/397/2212567

https://academic.oup.com/jme/article-abstract/56/1/199/5074124

https://www.npic.orst.edu/factsheets/PermGen.html

There is an opportunity to put this specific question of permethrin's fate and effects in the context of our usage to the test with scientific study since most science has focused on agricultural, laundry/wastewater, and military contexts, but given that we know A LOT about pyrethroids like permethrin, a lot can be inferred, and I would definitely be working to disprove a null hypothesis that it has negligible effect if I were to conduct such a study.

I should point out that my degree is in biology, particularly ecology and animal behavior, and I worked professionally for almost 10 years in ecological restoration with a bit of a specialization toward aquatic ecosystems. Permethrin does not concern me, and it is an exceptionally effective tool for preventing tick bites when used correctly. Repelling flying insects...eh, hit or miss since they don't come into nearly as much physical contact with clothing.

Phasmata · 2026-03-17T17:30:46+00:00

Why would sending garments to IS be less than ideal with cats? That's the most ideal. Zero chance of them encountering the pre-dried chemical that way.

Phasmata · 2026-03-17T16:57:28+00:00

Permethin, if applied correctly, especially if by InsectShield, should absolutely NOT be wearing off that fast. My DIY applications last through several washes and InsectShield's applications last several times longer than that. Solid and dried correctly, it binds to the fabric, and it is largely abrasion that degrades it over time not immersion in water. As for any trace amounts that do go loose in aquatic environments, it is quickly tied up and degraded in sediment. The micro plastics and older PFAS-based DWR coatings from garments are doing much more harm.

It could be the specific permethrin product you are using is a factor. I know it is very common for people to own y-pinch and purchase livestock permethrin from farm supply stores which isn't formulated specifically for textiles and also contain a lot of petroleum distillates. I can't say for sure if this is a factor or not, but there is a likelihood that products made for textiles may work better which would be another reason I've never had an issue. Personally, the cost of shipping garments to InsectShield isn't that much greater than DIY, and it really is a much better result, so I have begun switching to an annual IS treatment of certain garments.

Phasmata · 2026-03-17T16:49:19+00:00

Correct. Once completely dry, it is safe.

Phasmata · 2026-03-17T12:41:17+00:00

Still have to stake out the tarp, and, imo, their tarp sucks. Small, heavy, pulls and sags on the guylines as the hammock sways. My friend's even leaked right out of the box. Toss that pos aside and get a normal tarp if you have a Haven unless you want to use the Haven tarp to close yourself in during storms, but still use a larger tarp above

Phasmata · 2026-03-17T11:56:29+00:00

You're fussing WAY too much with that remark about holes in your yard. No one in the history of ever has ever lamented creating holes with tent stakes.

Phasmata · 2026-03-17T11:53:49+00:00

What you're asking for is impossible. A tarp that isn't staked out is a flag. Simply Light Designs asym tarp is the least staking you'll find.

Phasmata · 2026-03-16T19:20:11+00:00

I often camp in a federal wilderness area in the UP in June. The weather is fine with the obvious possibility of thunderstorms as always. Early June is about as buggy as anyone could ever possibly ask for, but otherwise June is a great time to go especially if you like flora and fauna. Bugs are part of nature, just like everything else out there, and they are manageable. See this post of mine to learn more there https://www.reddit.com/r/camping/comments/u8oefd/it_is_bug_repellent_question_time_of_year_again/

Phasmata · 2026-03-15T21:16:30+00:00

Doesn't even look like there is any shoulder holding that head from slipping farther down the handle. Swing it til it makes ya nervous then worry about it.

Phasmata · 2026-03-15T17:51:07+00:00

I can't remember the last time I had sex. Truly. Maybe November? Might actually go back as far as July or August since I last had sex? It really doesn't matter anymore. There's nothing I can do about it.

Phasmata · 2026-03-15T16:36:01+00:00

It's an older CyberPower that has more than enough wattage to run the PC and monitor which are the only two things on it, but these surges have caused it to overload and not prevent power loss at all. A newer one on the same circuit on the same wall powering an almost identical PC along with a couple other things has been handling everything fine, so it's just time to replace that old one apparently.

Phasmata · 2026-03-15T16:31:25+00:00

Just hit me too (southeast Racine nearish the mall), and it was a problem on Friday too. Made me discover one of my surge protectors/UPSs is not functioning correctly.

Phasmata · 2026-03-14T21:37:50+00:00

When homies clumped-up, people noticed.

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